Topic > Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Rhetorical Analysis

Edwards declared: “There is the terrible pit of the burning flames of God's wrath; there is the gaping mouth of hell; and you have nothing to lean on, nor anything to hold on to” (Edwards 1). This quote is a great example of occasion. Edwards argues that the more we sin, the more we sin, the more it acts as a bellowing for the flaming pit of God's wrath. People need to repent so that they have something to lean on or hold on to to avoid falling into the pits boiling hell. Edwards proclaims: “There are the black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of terrible storm and great of thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately explode upon you” (Edwards 3). Edwards is saying that God is capable of doing anything he wants, but chooses not to do it because he wants to give people the opportunity to become believers by repenting of their sins. Jonathan Edwards wanted to scare people into repentance by preaching God's wrath and anger towards them, not his love. He talked about extreme punishments and God's anger that would send people to the depths of hell. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Some of the metaphors Edwards uses to describe non-religious humans show how weak and inferior we are in the eyes of God. For example, "The God who holds you over the pit of hell, just as one holds a spider or a loathsome insect on the fire..." (Edwards 4). This quote supports the purpose of Edward's sermon because it lets people know how powerful God is by connecting it to a real-world situation. God is the one who holds the spider or insect also known as people on fire due to their sinful nature. Edwards preached that they must repent of their sins and turn to God for forgiveness before it was too late and they ended up in the fire; while warning people that God will judge them for their sins. One of the things Edwards did not soften is the wrath of God. He explains, “Therefore let everyone who is outside of Christ wake up and flee from the wrath to come” (Edwards 14). God's wrath is called divine punishment. During the sermon he talked about God's wrath and how scary and painful it will be when it comes. Use the repetition of this word to impress upon people's minds that God does not joke and could cause disaster at any moment. In one of the quotes from the previous paragraphs; describes hell as the flaming wrath of God. It says that the wrath of God is like a black cloud hanging over your head. It will always stay with you and when the time comes it will hit you and leave you like a pile of ashes. In the sermon Edwards illustrates: “The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow in your heart, and bends the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God , and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation, who keeps the arrow from being drunk with your blood for a moment” (Edwards 5). Jonathan is saying that God is already angry and that there is nothing we can do to stop him from taking that person's life. By placing heavy emphasis on the word “wrath,” he shows that everyone is worthy of hell and if they have any hope of being saved they must repent. Jonathan Edwards carefully chose to implement fear in the audience; scaring them into walking a narrow and treacherous path that will lead them to God. “There is nothing between you and hell but air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that sustains you” (Edwards 1) is an example of the way Edwards uses his words to emphasize the opposition between two ideas in.